


Mollify

by BreakfastTea



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Noct just wants a pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25190662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: While rescuing a stranded Hunter and separated from his friends, Noctis encounters bizarre creatures in the depths of the Greyshire Glacial Caverns. If he wants to escape, he'll have to find a way to keep the creatures from eating him alive...
Comments: 20
Kudos: 80





	Mollify

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Fanfic Friday everyone! <3 This is for Puffbird Studio who requested a fic based off the word 'mollify'. I had A LOT of fun with this one :D

Caves were not Noctis’ favourite place to be. They limited his fighting style, given their lack of space. But he especially hated the Greyshire Caverns. They were too cold. Unlike Gladio, who seemed impervious to all changes in temperature, Noctis was not a fan of anything frozen. It messed with his back, bringing out a deep ache. It was one thing to mess around in the snow knowing you had a warm apartment and a lot of hot chocolate waiting for you the second you were bored or in pain. This place? They were here until they dragged out the Hunter who’d gone in here solo woefully unprepared.

Conversation was kept to a minimum; they needed to listen in case the Hunter called out for help. Noctis moved quietly, his boots crunching over the ice. Grumpy though he was, he couldn’t deny the beauty of this place, the way the ice looked like a frozen sky.

They kept going, deeper and deeper into the cavern. Prompto gave a startled gasp in instant before he crashed down.

“Sorry, sorry!” he gasped, rubbing his backside. “My foot slipped!”

Ignis reached over to help him up. “It’s alright. It’s not easy to –”

“Hello?” a timid voice called out. “Is someone there?”

Gladio stepped up. “Who’s there?” he bellowed.

“My name’s Barry! I’m a Hunter! I need help!”

Noctis scanned the uneven terrain of the cavern and saw no one. He looked at the others, but they were coming up blank too.

“You got anything else that can help us find you?” Gladio shouted back.

“Ah, yeah! Hold on!”

Moments later, a flare burst into bright red light. It came from one of the cavern’s twisting pathways, one Noctis recalled getting lost in during their first expedition.

It also meant he had no idea how to get back there on foot. They’d all slipped into it accidentally last time and had to climb out. The caverns were full of dangerous twists, turns and pitfalls.

“Are you injured?” Ignis called out.

“Yeah. My arm is broken. I can’t climb out.” He laughed nervously. “And I’m really starting to freeze my ass off.”

“We’ll be with you soon,” Ignis said. He turned to Noctis. “You may have to warp over to him, assess his injuries, and give us a chance to meet up with you.”

Noctis’ eyes scanned the cavern. He’d warped in here before with mixed results. He’d just have to take care of his landings. “Okay. Wait here. I’ll see how he is.”

He warped across to where the flare told him the Hunter would be waiting. And sure enough, there was Barry. He’d slipped from the main path into one of the countless nooks and crannies littering the cavern. At least this one was shallow; plenty of other holes in the cavern went down a lot further. Still, the walls were sheer, undented ice. That wasn’t the real problem for Barry though. One look told Noctis Barry’s arm wasn’t merely broken; it was bent out of shape. Way out of shape. No way was he getting out of here on his own.

“Wow, you got over here really quick!” Barry said.

Noctis gave the man a Potion for the pain and pulled an old scarf of his out of the Armiger. “We need to get you out of here.”

“I would really appreciate that,” Barry said.

“What happened?” Noctis asked, using the scarf to make a sling. Noctis carefully easing Barry’s arm into it. Barry hissed in pain. Noctis winced sympathetically. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Better this than the alternative. And yeah, I fell right after I was attacked.”

Noctis’ heart skipped a beat. “Attacked by what?”

“The thing I was sent in here to kill. Never seen anything like it. Like a cross between a Voretooth and a Havokfang. Huge, dog like thing but built for the cold climate, you know?”

Noctis looked around, paranoid the creature might attack at any second. “Where did it go?”

“No idea. It’s been hours. I can’t believe Dave got you guys here so fast. I managed to get a call out before my phone died.”

Feeling slightly relieved but no less wary, Noctis nodded. “Wait here. I’m gonna tell the others your situation and we’ll get you out.”

He warped back to the others and gave them the lowdown.

“Do you think you can warp him back up to the main pathway and help him back?” Gladio asked.

Noctis considered it. The guy wasn’t huge, but warping with someone else in tow wasn’t easy at the best of times. Doing it on icy ground was asking for trouble. And it would cause Barry a lot of pain. Still, if it meant they could get Barry and his shattered arm out of here quicker, it was a risk he was willing to take.

“Keep an eye out,” Noctis said. “If the thing that attacked him comes back, you guys are gonna have to take it out.”

“We gotcha covered, Noct!” Prompto said, his gun appearing in a shower of crystalline sparks.

“Great, thanks,” Noctis said. “I’ll get him here as fast as possible. His arm is…” He winced at the mental image. “Bad.”

“We’re ready,” Gladio said. “Get going.”

Noctis warped back to Barry. He helped him to his feet, taking great care of his arm. Didn’t stop the guy’s skin from going a healthy black to a worryingly ashen tone. “Don’t pass out on me,” Noctis said. “Keep breathing.”

“Yeah, trying,” Barry gasped.

“We are gonna do something weird next,” Noctis said. He gave the briefest overview of warping, keeping out stories of motion sickness and dizziness that usually came with a first attempt. “Just trust me, okay?”

“Trust you. Okay.”

Holding onto Barry and readjusting his stance, Noctis summoned a dagger from the Armiger.

“Holy shit,” Barry breathed. “You’re Prince Fucking Noctis!”

“Not the time, Barry.” Noctis took a deep breath and threw the dagger, launching them both out of the nook. They landed hard on the ice, where Barry immediately lost everything he’d eaten. Noctis barely moved out of the way, and then barely kept upright when his feet skidded beneath him. He stood straight, wincing at the complaints in his back.

“You okay?” Noctis asked Barry.

“Never, ever ask me to do that again.” He didn’t look well at all. Sweat peppered his forehead and he was still too pale.

“Let’s go,” Noctis said.

He helped Barry across the long, winding paths back to the others. They were almost there when a roar like no other hit the air.

“Noct!” Prompto yelled. “Behind you!”

Noctis turned to see the creature Barry had mentioned. It was some weird kind of crossbreed, part Havocfang, part Voretooth, and it was huge. Coated in thick, ice-proof fur, it had teeth and claws Noctis didn’t want to get between. He shifted around Barry, putting himself between the injured man and his attacker. “Keep going!” he told Barry. “Get to the others, now!”

Barry did as he was told. Noctis stayed ready. The creature hadn’t moved yet, but it was poised to pounce. He could hear the others coming. The pathway was too narrow for all of them to stand together.

“Get Barry,” Noctis shouted without taking his eyes off the creature. “Prompto, cover me. Ignis, Gladio, help Barry clear of these paths. Then I can get back and we can get out of here.”

The others did what they were told. Noctis risked a quick look back, and saw Barry making slow, limping progress towards the others. Good. He backed up a step.

The creature followed.

Shit.

“Be careful, Noct!” Prompto called from behind.

The creature let out a low, warning growl. It sniffed the air and snarled. Noctis summoned the Engine Blade. Did he pre-empt it with a Warp Strike, or wait for it to attack?

“Hang in there, man,” Gladio’s voice shouted. “Don’t pass out, you hear me?”

“Is he okay?” Noctis shouted. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the weird creature again.

“Looks like he’s gonna pass out,” Gladio said. “Come on, man, you’ve gotta keep going.”

Barry’s voice barely made it back to Noctis. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t –”

It all went wrong in the same heartbeat.

Barry fainted.

The creature attacked.

Noctis moved. His Warp Strike hit the monster as it flew through the air, aiming to take out Barry. The Engine Blade cut into its unprotected gut, blood and gore spilling out.

“Noct, look out!”

It was already too late. Noctis’ attack had taken him off the path and over a gaping chasm. This one wasn’t shallow like Barry’s. The ice disappeared into a deep, dark pit.

The creature’s corpse fell on Noctis.

Gravity took care of the rest.

Noctis felt himself falling until he hit something hard, cold and very solid.

And then everything was black.

* * *

“What do we do?” Prompto cried out. He watched Noctis disappear, totally helpless. And now, there was nothing he could do to bring him back. They couldn’t just leave him. “Can we get down there?”

Ignis already had his phone to his ear. Not that Noctis was answering his call. Gladio ran to grab Barry, the man now well and truly unconscious.

“We stick to the mission,” Gladio said. He looked grim. “Noct isn’t incapable.” He didn’t look like he agreed with what he was saying, but duty forced him to speak anyway. “We get this guy out of here, and then if we need to, we come back for Noct.”

Ignis stared at him. “Gladio –”

“Don’t,” Gladio said. “This goes against every instinct, but Noct is trained to handle himself. This guy needs our help now.”

“What if Noct’s hurt?” Prompto asked. “We can’t just leave him!” Then it hit him. “You guys go. Get the guy to safety. I’ll stay here and wait for Noct.”

“Are you sure?” Ignis asked, clearly torn.

Prompto nodded. “Noct wouldn’t want us to let Barry die because of him. If he makes it back up, we’ll come after you. Otherwise, once you’ve got Barry to safety, come back for us.”

“We’ll be quick,” Gladio said, tossing Barry over his shoulder. “Call us the minute you know something. And don’t do anything stupid. We don’t need to lose track of both of you.”

“Okay,” Prompto said. “I’ll keep calling him.”

Ignis was on the phone again. “Dave, we have your man. He’s alive, but he’s injured. We’ll need someone to collect him from Burbost Outpost… Oh, really? Excellent. Alright. We’ll meet them there as fast as we can. Thank you.” Ignis ended the call. “Dave has a medic waiting for us. Come on, Gladio, the sooner we get Barry to them, the sooner we can come back here.”

“Stay safe,” Gladio ordered Prompto.

Prompto nodded. “I’ll keep trying to call him.”

The others disappeared. Prompto, after making sure nothing daemonic lingered nearby, pulled his phone out and kept calling Noctis.

He tried not to freak out about not being able to hear Noctis’ phone ringing nearby.

* * *

His head hurt. A lot. As did his back. And his leg. His leg was the worst of it. And he was cold. Really, really cold.

And something was making noise. The same noise. Over and over again.

His phone? An alarm? No, someone was calling.

He probably needed to open his eyes and get that…

Noctis forced himself awake.

And found himself staring at a wall of ice.

No wonder he was so cold.

That was when his memory kicked in.

The Cavern.

Barry.

The weird monster.

Noctis jolted upright. Pain shot through his leg. Fuck! That hurt like hell!

The leg could wait. He needed to answer his phone. He fished it out of a pocket and didn’t pause long enough to read the name onscreen. “Yeah?”

“Noct! You’re alive!”

“Prompto?”

“Yeah, it’s me! Listen, you need to get back up here now because I am freezing my ass off.”

Noctis tried to stand. His leg didn’t move. He gasped in pain.

“Whoa, whoa, you okay, dude?”

“Yeah, just hold on.” Noctis moved his flashlight so he could see his leg. The problem became clear in an instant. His ankle was wedged into a crack in the glacier.

And he absolutely could not move it out.

“Noct, talk to me,” Prompto said, his voice surprisingly firm.

“Yeah, I’m a little stuck,” Noctis said.

But he was alone. A massive streak of blood heading deeper into the cave told him the monster’s body had slid deeper into the cave network. Okay, good. That was one less worry he needed to fix.

“Stuck how?” Prompto asked.

“My leg. I can’t get it out the crack.”

Prompto snorted. Noctis rolled his eyes. “Mind out the gutter man.”

“Sorry. Do you know how far you fell?”

Noctis looked up. He realised he hadn’t fallen so much as slid down a frozen shaft. And that meant he had no easy way back up. “I don’t think you guys are gonna be able to get down here.”

“Didn’t really plan on it,” Prompto said. “You’re gonna have to warp back.”

“Yeah, I – ” A roar silenced him.

“Noct, what the hell was that?”

“Um…”

Another creature appeared, clawing its way up the frozen tunnel. Noctis stared at it. It stared back.

“Noct!” Prompto’s voice was sharp in his ear.

“Listen, I’m stuck and you guys can’t get down here without equipment. You need to get ice climbing equipment from the Outpost.”

“I’ll call Ignis and Gladio, tell them to pick some up. They already left with Barry.”

“They did? They’re not up there right now freaking out?” Really? Noctis was proud. “That’s some real character growth on their part.”

“Uh, Noct? You feeling okay?”

The creature came closer. Closer. Noctis thought fast. He reached into the Armiger and pulled some raw meat out. Ignis wouldn’t be using it for dinner after all, but Noctis figured he wouldn’t mind. He tossed it to the creature.

The creature saw dinner and attacked it, chomping it down in three big gulps.

Holy shit.

“Noct? You still with me?”

“Listen, Prompto. I need to hang up for a bit, okay? I need both my hands to try and free myself.” Actually he needed both his hands to keep a bizarre monster at bay. “Update the others, okay? And tell them not to panic because I am in one piece.” One very cold, very achy piece.

“Okay, but the second you need help, call.”

“Right.” Noctis hung up.

The monster licked its lips. It turned to him, like an overgrown dog. A really angry dog. It clawed at the ice, staring at him like he was the next meal.

Noctis held out a hand. “Nice giant dog monster thing,” he said. “You don’t wanna eat me.”

Except it probably did, because he’d just killed its friend. Or maybe its mate.

The creature growled.

And the tunnel shook around them. Ice cracked and broke, chunks battering Noctis and his monster buddy.

Not good. Not good at all. There went any plans Noctis had entertained of shooting the damn thing dead. A noise like that could bring the whole place crumbling down around him.

Like he needed this to get any more complicated than it already was.

He mentally rummaged through the Armiger, his brain struggling to focus. Shit, he’d hit his head harder than he thought. Come on, come on, there had to be more meat…

He found jerky. A lot of jerky. Who the hell had put that in there? Gladio, probably. The guy would eat anything. Noctis pulled it out, unwrapped it and tossed it to the creature.

It inhaled them.

“Okay. Okay, feeding you is working.” Noctis let out a shaky breath. The more he fed it, the less likely it was to eat him. “Ignis might not be happy he’s got nothing to cook with, but right now, I don’t want to be eaten.”

Noctis dug into their vegetable collection and threw a selection over to the monster. It sniffed them warily.

“Yeah, I know. I’m not a fan either,” Noctis said.

The monster chewed a carrot. Then another. Then it went for the whole lot.

Until Noctis’ phone rang. The creature gave a massive roar. More of the tunnel came raining down.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Noctis dug another batch of veg out and threw it to the monster. He answered his phone. “Yeah?”

“Everything okay?” Prompto asked. “You sound stressed.”

The monster gave a growl.

“Uh, Noct? What the hell was that?”

“Nothing I can’t deal with,” Noctis said.

“Do you need me to come down there?”

“No. I need you to stay exactly where you are. And you’re gonna have to stop calling because I am trying to tame a monster down here and the more you call, the more it gets pissed off, the more it roars and more of the freaking ceiling falls down.” He gasped for breath before he passed out from lack of oxygen.

“You’ve got a concussion,” Prompto said. “You’re never this talkative normally.”

“Probably,” Noctis said. “But I’m serious. I am monster taming down here. Once it’s dealt with, I will get out and I will warp back up.”

“The others know what’s happened. They’ll be back soon.”

“Barry okay?” Noctis asked.

“Dude’s arm desperately needs fixing and he’s got hypothermia, but he’ll be fine.”

“Great. Listen, I’m gonna hang up again.” The monster was running out of veg. “I’ll call you back when I can.”

“Noct, wait!”

Noctis hung up. He grabbed more food and threw it to the monster.

It decided to play fetch with a carrot.

Noctis couldn’t help but laugh. “You just wanna play, huh?”

The creature dropped a slobbery carrot in his lap.

Wincing, Noctis picked it up and threw it.

The monster bounded after it.

And came back.

“Okay.” Noctis could do this. He could play this game. And he needed to free his leg. “You ready?”

He threw the carrot deeper into the tunnel. The monster bounded after it, slipping and sliding down the tunnel. Noctis took the opportunity to grab his ankle and pull.

No luck. It was well and truly jammed in there. Noctis put his hands against the ice, wincing at the strain in his hamstrings as he stretched forward in a weird yoga pose. He closed his eyes, trying to marshal his wandering thoughts. He hadn’t expected the second monster to be a giant pet, and yet that’s what it had turned into.

Except he couldn’t stay here forever playing fetch. He needed to melt the ice. With fire. He could do that. Fire. Fire was warm. Which would be good right now. Because he was really cold. And cold made his back hurt and…

Wait, what was he doing again?

A clatter of claws and a blast of foul smelling animal warmth hit Noctis in the face. A wet carrot dropped into his lap. He barely kept from vomiting. He reached out to the creature. His hand landed on the monster’s head. He gave it a rub. “Yeah, you’re a good boy. Or maybe a good girl. Or both. Or neither.”

The monster licked him. It actually licked him.

Noctis laughed. “You’re a lot friendlier than your buddy.”

He dug deep into the Armiger. He found some old cat toys he’d dumped in there the last time he’d snuck cats into his old apartment. He pulled out the largest, a squeaky chocobo, and showed the monster.

“Wanna play?” Noctis gave it a squeak.

The monster sat back on its haunches.

Noctis shook his head. Ow. Bad idea. Still. Was this monster for real?

Apparently so.

Noctis threw the chocobo as hard as he could.

The creature disappeared after it.

Okay. Awesome. Noctis needed to melt the ice around his ankle.

Focus, focus, focus. He could do this. He could melt the ice and not set himself on fire.

Fire. At least he’d be warm.

Noctis focused. Fire poured out of his hands, too much as usual. The ice melted. His frozen skin was now burned skin.

But he could move his leg.

His hopefully not broken leg.

Noctis carefully stood up. He gave himself the luxury of one, very long groan. His whole body hurt.

And then his new friend came bounding back into view, chocobo toy in its mouth. Noctis laughed. “I kinda like you,” he said, giving the monster another pet. “Okay, well, maybe you can help me out. Whaddya say? Fancy giving me a ride?”

Based on the amount of tail wagging, Noctis’ new friend was willing to do anything.

“Right. We’re gonna go up there.” He pointed to the tunnel he’d fallen down. “Okay?”

Noctis tossed the squeaky chocobo toy up the shaft. He grabbed the monster, and held on for dear life. The monster tried to buck him off, but when Noctis threw another carrot into the mix, it settled down and took him up the tunnel.

They found the chocobo toy. Noctis grabbed it from the monster’s jaw and threw it again. “We’re not done yet.”

Up, up, up. Noctis couldn’t believe how far he’d fallen. Or how far he’d slid. Slidded? Slidden? Was any of that grammatically correct? He had no idea.

It took another toss of the chocobo toy, but they finally made it to the main cavern.

“Holy shit!” Prompto cried out.

Noctis rolled off the monster’s back. He turned, saw Prompto’s gun turning to face them.

“Don’t shoot!” Noctis shouted.

“Noct?” Prompto gasped.

“Yeah, it’s me. Do not shoot!”

The monster clocked Prompto and started growling, its body lowering, its front paws clawing at the ice. Noctis stepped between man and beast. He held out both hands to the monster in a calming gesture. “It’s okay,” he said in a calming tone, balancing as best he could on one leg. “It’s okay. He’s a friend. You don’t need to eat him.”

“Noct, didn’t you just kill that thing?”

“No, this is another one. And you don’t need to hurt it, okay? Drop the gun.”

“But – ”

“Prompto, do what I say.” Noctis could see the monster getting angrier. He stepped closer to it, hands still held out. “You’re okay. You’re safe. No need to worry about Prompto. He’s just worried about me. Same as you.”

The creature gave one last roar before it settled, licking its lips and shaking itself off.

“There you go,” Noctis said. He petted the thing on the head. “Good job.” He hopped closer. “You’re not a baddie, are you? No, you’re not.”

“There’s no way Ignis will let you keep it,” Prompto calls from behind.

Noctis chuckles. “Yeah, I know.” He looks over his shoulder. “You okay?”

“I’m cold but I’m alive,” Prompto said. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Head hurts, leg hurts, back hurts, but I’m not dead,” Noctis said.

“That’s very honest of you,” Prompto said.

“Concussion, I guess,” Noctis said.

“We need to get out of here,” Prompto said.

“I know.” Noctis gave the creature another pet. “Thanks for your help. You’d better stay safe, okay? Head on back down into the caverns, okay?” He gives the monster a push.

It licked him.

“Come on,” Noctis said. “This is where you live.”

It wasn’t working.

“Fine. You can be my crutch to the cave’s edge. Then I think you’ll catch one look at the outside world and run for cover.”

Noctis hopped at the creature’s side, ignoring the aching pain in his back. Prompto kept his distance. Any time he got slightly too close, the monster growled.

“You should recruit him,” Prompto said with a nervous chuckle.

Noctis laughed. “Can you even imagine? Think of it in the car. Ignis would not be able to cope.”

“I’m just picturing Gladio putting your new buddy in a harness and taking it for walks.”

The mental image of Gladio attempting it had Noctis doubled up with laughter. He didn’t even care how much more his head hurt. It was too funny.

“Yeah,” Prompto said from his safe distance. “You definitely have a concussion.”

As predicted, when they made it to the cavern’s opening, the waterfall kept the monster at bay. Noctis felt sad to see the creature go, but it bounded away without so much as a look back.

Prompto closed the distance. Then opened it again. “Wow, Noct, you stink.”

Noctis hobbled onwards. His leg didn’t want to hold his weight for much longer. “I could really use a hand.”

“You’re really gonna need to shower before I’ll go anywhere near you.” Prompto pointed at the waterfall. “Walk through that.”

“My leg’s not gonna hold without your help,” Noctis said. “Don’t make me order you.”

“You wouldn’t,” Prompto said. “You stink of dead stuff and wet animal stuff. It isn’t great!”

“Prompto, help me.”

“Noct, I want to preface what I’m about to say with the following: you are my best friend. However, right now, I literally hate you.” Prompto grabbed Noctis and threw Noctis’ arm across his shoulder. “You owe me.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They were halfway back to the outpost when Ignis and Gladio came running. Both of them reeled at the smell. Gladio said nothing. He just grabbed Noctis, threw him over his shoulder and lugged him down to the river.

“Don’t you dare,” Noctis said.

“You have no idea how bad you smell,” Gladio said. “Fuck, Noct, it’s a miracle Prompto didn’t throw up all over you. You owe him.”

“That water is cold. I am already freezing. Do _not_ do this!”

“We’ll fix that later. Suck it up, kid. You’re not going anywhere until you’re clean.”

Five seconds later, Gladio dunked Noctis into the river. He came up coughing and spluttering.

Gladio grinned. “Much better.” He reached into the water and dragged Noctis back to dry land. “That’s what you get for scaring the shit out of us. Again.”

Noctis settled for a glare. He was shivering too much to risk speaking. Chances were he’d bite his own tongue off.

* * *

They spent the night in the caravan. Dave called to update them on Barry. They’d had to take him to the big hospital in Lestallum, but he would be okay. Noctis was glad to hear it. Or, at least he was when Ignis woke him up after a two hour nap for his concussion check.

“I’m fine,” Noctis grumbled. He rolled onto his side. “Did Prompto tell you about my new best friend? Maybe I’ll go back into the Cavern and find them. They can be my new Crownsguard.”

“So long as you have enough squeaky toys and food to give it a nudge to do what you want,” Ignis said.

“Isn’t it the same with you guys?” Noctis shot back. “You get fed. You got shiny phones that are basically human squeaky toys.”

Ignis reached out and put the back of his hand to Noctis’ forehead. “Not feverish. Must be the concussion. Get some more sleep. We’ll wake you again in two hours.”

Noctis groaned. “It was a joke, Ignis.”

“No, I think it could be a sign of brain damage.”

Noctis was never, ever going to speak again.

**Author's Note:**

> How to Train Your Dragon, FFXV style ;)
> 
> See you next Friday for one more FFXV fic from this round of requests ^_^ Until then, y'all can find me over on [Tumblr](https://breakfastteatime.tumblr.com/) :D


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